"Sharp no!! Wait Sharp!!! Don't do this he's only messing with you!!!" I held on to Sharp's wrist with the tightest grip ever to hold him back, but he marched on, his eyes solely focused on the cat sitting cooly and waving its tail inches in front of him.
"Sharp!!!! Please come on the doors right there!!!! Let's g-" As soon as I said that a blistering pain whipped me across my face, blood spurting out before me in the air. For a moment I was convinced I was flying, but I was falling to the ground, the ceiling above me getting further and further away as I collapsed onto the floor. Sharp's arm was outstretched, his fist stained with my blood. Laying there, my arms phased out in all directions, staring up at the ceiling going back and forth; trying to get up and seeing that everything was moving around me. Then, after a minute I had the rudest awakening; Sharp had just punched me in the nose. Here I was trying to save this bastard from his own destruction, and he hurt me for it.
The cat rolled over on his stomach, laughing so much that tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. To-mas couldn't believe what he was seeing. All it took was a few words just to throw the weak rat off, gaslighting him into thinking his mother's murder was really his fault.
Sharp walked straight up to the cat, who was still rummaging around in his amusement. The string around his neck moved as he rolled on his belly and gaffed, shifted onto his side, turned his back to him, stuck in his world of comedy. Sharp stood there, waiting for him to finish.
Gradually, To-mas stopped laughing. He got up, not even fully aware that Sharp stood in front of him. He looked down at the puny, angered rodent, still snickering in between tears at an infuriated Sharp, standing there silently. To-mas lowered his head to match with Sharps.
Sharp and him faced each other directly, his whiskers just inches away from his. He could smell the cat's raunch breath while he exhaled, two fangs that were bigger than his head bearing themselves at him.
"And just what are you going to do about it??" the cat asked.
Sharp blinked, not saying a word. He just gazed at the cat, not moving, not smiling, just watching. Observing. The feline continued.
"The door's there and I have kept my promise, not moving as long as you two are leaving. So, you should probably get going before this gets...serious-" To-mas huffed in the rodent's face, slowly rising his head up.
Sharp nodded his head in agreeance, surrendering. He concluded that maybe Burrow was right. Maybe deciding to take this crazy chance was just another foolish decision. The cat was a trickster after all.
But he also decided that he didn't care about any of the consequences. None of it mattered.
Sharp lunged off his feet and sprung onto the cat's face, sinking his claws under his eyes and latching himself there.
"You crazy-raaarwwraa!!!!!!' the cat whipped his head up, rearing back and forth as Sharp trudged up to his head, using his claws to anchor into his skin at each step.
Burrow laid there, hearing the fighting noises. His vision was still blurry and dizzying, he staggered onto his feet vainly, only to trip and fall down again. He laid there, taking in the hissing noises, the growling, Sharp's quickened squeaks, everything.
He needed to know what was going on. He needed to see.
No...I can't let Sharp do this to himself..he's gonna die.. he thought, forcing himself to get up he pushed up on his hind legs, holding the blood that was dripping down his nose. He now saw the image of the cat clearly.
Burrow stood there, motionless. The frozen rodent couldn't believe what he was seeing; Sharp was dominating the cat. The revenge filled rodent ran on top of To-mas' head, grabbed the collar string that was already around his neck, pulling it back tightly under his Adam's apple.
"UUARGGAHHGG!!!" The cat gargled, spit flying down his mouth as Sharp pulled the string back. A trail of spit went down To-mas' mouth, the cat desperate clawing on the carpet before him, desperately looking for some sort of relief between shortened gasps.
"Sharp..." Burrow was in disbelief. Sharp was actually handling the puss. To-mas eyes were white now, rolling back while Sharp held onto the string with dear life. The feline swung its head back and forth wildly, seemingly fighting against its last moments, but Sharp held on firmly, refusing to let go.
Sharp affirmed himself, knowing that he had this entire situation was in his hands. He was tired of the mockery, the bullying, the endless slaughter, and this would end it all.
He's mine now.
I've got the control.
He has nothing left, Sharp continuously affirmed. He looked up.
He saw Burrow, standing there holding his nose, blood dripping down his face. He certainly didn't want to hit his brother in his faace like that, but he was in the way what was happening now.
He thought about Cheesy. He must have been smiling down from Heaven.
He thought about his mother and her sweet smile too. This was for her. An eye for an eye, a life for a life.
Sharp saw that everyone was watching him, no matter where they were, and he was proud. He would not fail them.
Finally, he got the chance to show Burrow that he wasn't the only one that could take on responsibilities. He wasn't the only one doing things.
Seeing Burrow's reaction his eyes lingered on him, both of them looking at each other for a moment. Sharp rose his other hand absent mindedly, letting go of the rope for a second to wave at his brother.
He saw Burrow opening his mouth and waving his arms, but he couldn't hear what he was saying in that moment, all he was focusing on was his glory. Riding this cat's back, stringing him to death...why shouldn't he show off after all?
"Sharp Nooooooo!!!!!!!!" Burrow screamed from the distance, and as he did that, the cat wriggled and ducked its head under, flinging Sharp forward, off of its neck.
Burrow speed off towards Sharp, who landed on the ground with a thud, his back turned to To-mas. Still dazed from being flipped over, before Sharp could even get on his feet, the cat latched its paws and sunk into each of Sharp's side, sandwiching him in between them to hold him in place.
"Nooo pleasee stop!!!" Burrow felt his rugged breath while he dashed off towards them as fast as he could.
To-mas flung his head down, teeth bared, sinking his fangs into Sharp; a pained cry ripped into the air, Sharp bawling out as he felt the pressure of that cat's incisors penetrating deeply into his flesh.
"AAgghhgghghggggaa!!!" Sharp cried out, Burrow's mouth dropping wide open, his heart beating rapidly.
The orange furred creature stood there on its four legs, his fangs holding Sharp's body in his mouth.
A deathly coldness engulfed Burrow that kept him in place, running through his entire body. He was no longer a rodent; he was a frozen rat. He stopped running, iced in fear, blood running cold, unable to even feel his own heartbeat. The mischievous cat glared at Burrow with his narrow pupils, a venomous, hate filled stare as he swung his tail slowly, back and forth; blood running down Sharp's leg as he twitched.
Sharp's eyes were widened in shock, his body convulsing.
Burrow stood with a list of questions sailing through his mind. In this moment of pain, dread and fear he wondered.
Did the world really view us as something that awful to be hated? To be killed? To be diminished?
Why did the Cats hate us so? Why did the birds hate us? Were we the only sources of food for them??
Do they kill us just to eat, or does seeing us in pain fuel them?
Suddenly he felt an extreme anger, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He got up and bolted towards the cat, jumping off into the air and landing in its face.
To-mas dropped Sharp's body out of his mouth, distracted by his blocked vision.
He reared his head back and forth, wondering, just who the hell where these rodents?
Burrow stayed on the cat's face like a tick on a dog. He drew his head back and opened his mouth, biting down into the cat's head. He could feel his teeth ripping through its flesh and skin, he could feel the nasty iron like taste of blood running down his tongue.
"You despicable!!" the cat growled lowly, etching back and flinging its head from side to side. Burrow ran up to his face and latched onto his head, pushing the cat off of its feet as he tumbled to the side of the couch, crashing into it.
" Show him whose boss Burrs!" Sharp jeered on despite his condition. Suddenly, Sharp felt the blood wetting the corners of his neck and soaking his ear, he took his paw and wiped it across his neck, putting his paw to his face. He could see his paw filled with crimson blood, dripping down his arm.
"Ouch" Sharp said, holding his neck and breathing rapidly, the shook coming in slowly that he had been fatally injured. Just then, they heard a creak in the door above them. The Giant was coming in. Burrow ran swiftly off of the cat and sprinted straight to Sharp, grabbing his arm and running.
"Sharp let's go!! Under the couch" Sharp held his brother's hand, both of them digging to go underneath the other couch and hiding there, just like they did the day that the four of them were introduced to the cat.
"Tooooooo-mmasss!!! Oh sweet cat, ya daddy's home finally. I got som delicious treats for ya-" Just as the Giant said that he saw the cat leaning against the couch, his head blood stained and the feline, looking weary.
"To-mas!! To-mas what in the hell happened to ya??" The giant dropped his bags right at the entrance of the door where he came in, bending down and petting the cat, examining his bruise.
"It look like something bite you, sheesh. Was it them horrid dogs next door? You gotta be careful of those" To-mas gave a prolonged, sorrowful meow as The Giant took him up and petted him, going to the bedroom to find ointment to clean his bruises.
Burrow stood on the wooden space of the couch's underbelly, watching carefully as the Giant stepped into the bedroom. The man then turned back, coming out of his room and going to the bathroom. He turned the pipe on, and then went to the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Burrow sighed in relief.
"Ahhh their gone now. I'm going for the aloes to dress your injuri-"
"Don't. Don't bother Burrs. It makes no sense." Sharp said breathlessly. Burrow turned around to see Sharp collapsed on the floor on his back, blood oozing out of his neck, seeping onto the floor.
"Sharp!!!!!" Burrow exclaimed, running over to him. Sharp laid there, his vision blurry as the ceiling phased in and out. He tried to breath as slowly as possible, the hole in his neck and side hurting every time he did.
The hole in his neck and back showed nothing but a pool of reddened flesh, the wounds so deep he could stick his whole paw into them. Burrow stood there, panicking. It was so much blood...
It kept coming up and it wouldn't stop...It was beginning to form a puddle around them.
Sharp eyes blinked lifelessly, his expression tiresome and weary. He looked up at his brother's worrying expression.
******************************************************************************
I stood there, looking down at Sharp with all the blood covering him, my heart beating so fast I could barely breathe.
What do I ? What do I do? What do I do??
I can't get him back to the holdings in this condition. He couldn't move.
My eyes swerved around to my surroundings, searching desperately for a solution.
''Just hold on Sharp, stay right there" I got up, my hands soaked in blood and the white expanse of my stomach stained in blood. Looking around I saw some loose material hanging from the couch cover in front of him; tearing a piece off with my teeth, I ran back to Sharp and pressed it against his neck and his side.
"Just breathe okay, take it easy'' I reassured, feeling his slowed down breaths brush against my ear. Sharp looking into my eyes.
His eyelids were lowered. Tired, sleepy. There were tears in his eyes.
He held my hands from pressing down on his wounds and shook his head, indicating for me to stop.
"Ttthh-the harder I press down on wound the blood will stop and then I'll get some aloes to stop it further-- and, and we can rest here for a while. Everything's gonna be fine you just need to stay sti-"
Sharp placed his hand over mine, squeezing it gently.
"Burrow, stop....That's not gonna work.." The words slurred out of his mouth like a snail would across a sidewalk. I ignored him, continuing to press down anyway. He laid there as still as ever, trying to move my hand again.
"Burrow stop-"
"It's gonna work Sharp!! For once in your life stop being so fucking stubborn and let me help you" I looked down at my trembling, blood-stained hands. I closed my eyes and breathed in, fighting the sting of tears on the lid of my eyes. They came down in droplets either way.
My chest was ripping open, a well of emotions bulking up to my throat.
'' Even when I'm dying you still try to tell me what to do...your really something else.." a very tired smile spread across Sharp's face as he peered at me, watching the tears fall down my face. He took his shaking hand and wiped the tears from my eyes. I wrapped my red hands around his and cupped them to my face, caressing them against my cheek.
We both knew it was time, no matter how much I denied it. Nobody can deny death. I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon...
''Burrow, don't..." Sharp breathed, trying to muster up the words.
"Don't cry. It was my dumb...ass..idea after all. I at least got revenge for our Mother" he retorted, smiling proudly.
"But at what cost Sharp???At what cost???Your life????" My voice broke into pieces, the sadness in my chest wrapped its spikey hands around my heart, the sunken aches in the bottom of my stomach even more pronounced. I looked down at Sharp's eyes; He wasn't fighting for his life. He didn't even seem fearful; he was so strangely...calm.
"That cat bite me deeply Burrow. There's nothing else you can do'' he whispered carefully. I eased myself to sit, placing my hand under his head and resting it in my lap. The blood trickled down my thighs, seeping through the cloth I covered over his neck.
I continued pressing the cloth against Sharp's wounds.
Was I really watching my own brother die in my arms?? No no no...
Thiis isn't right. This couldn't be happening...
"Brother no hold on. We'll get through this. Yes we can, we stick together remember?? We-"
Sharp shook his head, whispering that it was okay under his breath. He moved his paw down and placed it over my paw that I was using to compress over the cloth on his side wound.
He took my hand off and clasped it with his; our bloody, shaking fingers intertwined.
He rose our hands together in the air and looked at me. Or eyes locked, both of them filled with sadness and knowing.
It was all coming back to him now. Sharp remembered all the times he played with Burrow, the adventures they went on, the things they did. He realized that despite the fights they've been through, that he would miss him dearly, no matter how annoying he was playing Mother's favorite all the time. He continued speaking.
"Looks like my pride killed me..didn't it? How ironic..."
he muttered lowly, the corners of his face up in a smile. He began coughing violently, blood seeping through his teeth as he smiled. The pain of seeing that..
"Sharp just...don't speak, please. Please please please..'' I sobbed, pleading with him still. Holding his hand I buried my face by his head, using my other hand to stroke his head.
"You damn reckless selfish rat. Why the fuck would you do that knowing you'd die??" I asked tearfully, already knowing the response. I looked back at him.
Sharp was phasing in and out of consciousness now, his eyelids closing down. I gasped.
"No, no no you can't leave me Sharp. Your- You're the only one I have left in this world Sharpo" I whispered under sniffles, voice breaking, looking deeply into his eyes for any sign of life. Sharp looked at me and whispered something so low that I couldn't hear. I leaned forward, trembling and coming closer to hear what he had to say.
"Get out ...start family. Live-" Sharp began coughing up bouts of blood, wheezing as he gave me that message. I took the cloth and tried sapping up the blood from his mouth. He held my hand again, placing the other on my shoulder.
******************************************************************************************* Sharp took the last strength he had left, raising up his arm and Burrow's clasped, blood-soaked paws into the air. Sharp smiled back at Burrow, blood seeping out the sides of his mouth.
"Br-Brothers. Forever....." Sharp muttered. With that, his hand fell lifelessly on his chest. Sharp's vision faded out into blackness. He breathed his last breath and Burrow felt the life drain out of him.
All the emotions came crashing down on him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do, except sit there, with his brother's lifeless body in his arms. He leaned over to Sharp and kissed his head, gently stroking it as the tears washed his face. He looked so peaceful, and calm. Unbothered. Burrow hugged his brother one last time, the wet, lukewarm blood seeping onto him as he diid.
Memories came rushing back in his head and playing themselves out like a movie. He thought of his mother. He thought of his brother, Cheesy. And now, he was thinking of Sharp.